Education Children Cloth Book: September 2012

Saturday

Brain Gym Balance for Daily Life

Finally :)

Thursday

Why Are Fine Motor Skills Important for Baby?

Motor skills are the 3rd most importance elements for baby's brain development in the pyramid of learning.Fine motor movements are the actions performed with the small muscles in the hands, fingers and wrist. Whether your child is holding a pencil, holding a pair of scissors or putting clothes on her doll, she will require precise movements of her small muscles to accomplish her task satisfactorily.

Fine motor skills, as with gross motor skills, develop only through practice and more practice. And as small muscles repeat motions over and over and over again, those muscles remember the movement (called "muscle memory") and the movements become automatic. A prime example is seen in the process of learning to play a piece on the piano. At first the person slowly and methodically plods through each note and measure of the song. But with continued practice, eventually the piece is played smoothly and almost without thinking.

Perfect fabric book for baby to learn motor skills through simple tying the shoelace attached in the book :)

Even in this age of technology, it is still important to be able to manipulate a pencil, pen or crayon with ease. Your child will need strong fine motor skills to hold a pencil correctly and to move the pencil in all the complicated ways required to draw letters and shapes with precision.

Using scissors correctly is another lifelong skill that is reliant on fine motor skills. Your child will need well-developed muscles in his thumb, index finger, middle finger and wrist to open and close the blades of the scissors.

Playing any musical instrument requires finely honed fine motor skills. And think about the demands on small fingers and hands when children play with video game controls and use cell phones and computer keypads. Those little fingers need to be able to move with precision! Even getting dressed and manipulating buttons and zippers requires strong fingers.

Price RM 30

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Ph: 012 2005927 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 012 2005927 end_of_the_skype_highlighting (weng)

For more information about motor skills click below:

http://specialchildren.about.com/od/therapies/g/motorskills.htm

http://www.squidoo.com/helping-children-develop-strong-fine-motor-skills

http://www.uvm.edu/~cdci/archives/mgiangre/Motorskills.pdf

Tuesday

Visual Training for Baby

More than 98% of all infants are born with normal healthy seeing eyes. However, the normal health and structure of the eyes do not guarantee that your child will be able to use those eyes efficiently in the world he must see and interpret.

The classroom, into which your child enters around the age of six, demands much of vision. This classroom, and its special tasks, demand visual abilities and skills every child must learn before he enters school if he is to be successful there.

Many studies have shown that freedom of eye movements, and the skills of getting visual attention on targets for inspection, are directly related to reading readiness. These visual abilities will not teach a child to read, but when theses skills are present, the teacher will have a child who is much more ready for reading instructions.

This guide is designed to give you enough information about vision development so you can make intelligent observations, and know when, where and how to help your child.

Visual Closure is the ability to visualize a complete whole when given incomplete information or a partial picture. This skill helps us understand things quickly because our visual system doesn't have to process every detail to recognize what we're seeing. Where we're reading, this skill helps us recognize sight words

Visual Form Constancy is the ability to mentally turn and rotate objects in our minds and picture what they would look like. This skill helps us distinguish differences in size, shape, and orientation. Children with poor form-constancy may frequently reverse letters and numbers. Game like the following can help us get practice form constancy.

Visual Discrimination lets us see differences between objects that are similar. Good visual discrimination helps keep us from getting confused. For example, when we read, it's visual discrimination that let's us see the "was" and "saw" are different even though they have the same letters. Puzzle games that ask us to tell how two pictures are different are good ways to help develop visual discrimination.

Price RM 30

Free Shipping for purchase above RM 300

Ph:012 2005927(weng)

Reference:

http://www.developmentalvisioncenter.com

http://www.eyecanlearn.com/

How to Choose Your Baby Bottle

Glass Bottles

Glass bottles are another alternative to consider, and many parents feel they are safer. Glass bottles are nontoxic and you can sterilize them after each cleaning.

BPA-Free Bottles

Always play it safe and purchase BPA-free plastic bottles. Most bottle manufacturers sell BPA-free products, which may be slightly higher in cost, but worth the money. Many BPA-free bottle designs also reduce instances of colic, gas and burping in babies. These bottles are easy to clean, which helps to reduce additional exposure to toxins.

Disposable Liner Bottles

Use BPA-free bottle liners to store breast milk and formula. These liners are not only free of the BPA toxin; they are also presterilized, preformed and disposable. Bottle liners are convenient, sanitary and safe enough for mothers to store breast milk for months at a time in the freezer. You must use liners with a drop-in bottle made for this purpose, and dispose the liner after each use.

Bottles with Silicone Nipples

The tiny pores in latex nipples absorb milk and ultimately leech toxins into fresh milk bottles and into your baby's system during feedings. Always use silicone nipples because they are nonporous and resistant to bacteria.

Best Bottle for Newborns

The best bottle for newborns is a plastic bottle with a cherry or round nipple made of latex. (Most bottle nipples are made of latex, silicone or rubber.) Latex nipples are softer and more flexible, so they are often preferred for newborns who are still learning to latch on. The nipple shape should be round or cherry, as it is sometimes called. The traditional round nipple is easiest for newborns to suck on. Eventually, the baby will move on to an orthodontic nipple, which better conforms to the palate and encourages strong oral development. But at this point, acclimating the baby to feeding is most important.

Best Bottle for Babies Over Six Months

The best bottle for babies over the age of six months is a plastic bottle with a rubber nipple. Rubber nipples are more durable than latex or silicone nipples, so they are better for babies that have become more aggressive and forceful with sucking. Latex nipples are easier to latch onto, but at this point, the baby should be well adjusted to bottle-feeding. The nipple should be orthodontic, which is flat on the side that rests on the baby's tongue. This shape conforms to the baby's developing palate and roof of the mouth, promoting healthy oral development. The orthodontic nipple will prepare the baby for the mouth of sippy cup, which is also indented.

Best Bottles for Babies with Gas

Babies with gas or acid reflux are better served with bottles that are angled, rather than stream-lined. Angled bottles let less air into the nipple, so they reduce the amount of air that babies swallow when they feed. Angled bottles are harder to get clean, whether by hand or in the dishwasher, so you will probably need to purchase special baby bottle brushes to clean them. Angled bottles usually have a special rubber grip at the angle, which babies can begin to hold themselves as you feed them. This helps them to transition to holding a sippy cup.

Monday

Teaching Your Baby Too Early Too Soon?

“My Jessica can read Snow White cover to cover already .“

“I already sent my kids for language and math class “

Sounds familiar?

Christopher Green, Ph.D., says, “There is a real danger that being forced to read and pushed too hard at too early an age can turn some children off the whole idea and a definite resistance will appear which might hinder an otherwise normal approach to the subject.”

All the brain research leads us to the conclusion that this is detrimental to our children. Too much too soon does more harm than good. Over stimulation and activities that are introduced to children too early can hinder learning.

Pyramid of Learning

Pyramid of Learning

The ‘Pyramid of Learning’ diagram (adapted from Pheloung, 2006) illustrates these basic building blocks, with each new layer building upon earlier foundations. At the top tier is academic learning. Success in this domain is dependent upon the attainment of many preceding neurological milestones, represented in the tiers below.

Example 1: Without integration of the two sides of the body in place (tier 6), a student will struggle to cross the midline of the body, an essential skill associated with being able to read and write smoothly from left to right. Both sides of the brain will not yet be working well together, affecting listening, thinking, understanding, reasoning and social skills. Additionally a dominant hand (either left or right) may not yet be established; a direct link with poor literacy learning.

Example 2: If visual and auditory pathways are not working well (tiers 9 and10), the child will not be able to take adequate meaning from what they see and hear. Verbal instructions, written text and sensory experiences around them will become distorted and confusing.

Example 3: If primitive reflexes are still active (tier 2), posture, attention, memory and overall brain functioning may be affected, providing a large but invisible learning hurdle.

As illustrated in these examples, without all tiers of the pyramid of learning in place, academic learning can be problematic. The child’s emotional well being, behaviour and energy levels can also be compromised.

The Water Bucket

Jessica has been taught to read, write and do math at her early stage of age without mastering the skills of the others element on the Pyramid of Learning beforehand. Guess what will happen? Below is demonstration of this situation. What will happen when the water pour into the bucket?

The water will just leak out deal to the unfilled hole of the bucket. This also explains that without mastering the foundation of formal learning, this child will be doing something that his/her development is not ready to do. Is like building a house on a shaky foundation. The house won’t be stable, and will be collapse.

Reference:
http://learningmoves.com.au/learningdifficulties.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7107798.stm
http://www.nashvilleparent.com/2012/09/when-teaching-your-tothow-much-is-too-much/
http://www.butterflywings.com.au/?page_id=376

Sunday

Brain Gym

101 - Brain Gym

This course is definitely a whole new experience and knowledge to me. It teaches us not only how our brain works together, but also how we could awake the others 200 billion neutron that sleep soundly inside our brain ,waiting for us to wake them up, through simple and effective movement. As Albert Einstein says, we only used 10% of our brain. After this course, I believe that we can have a better understanding and be able to recognize our great inner strength/potential that lie deep inside us.
By understanding the Three Dimensions and Five Principles of Movement-Based Learning programme, we are able to point out what actually the main mental and physiological obstacle that are really stopping us to achieve our goal. The knowledge of this course is not only important for adult but also for your baby/kids. Do you really know why your baby cries? What actually they want? Hungry? Thirsty? Want to get your attention? When your boy refuse to study , write , fail their exam, don’t like to go for classes, or do things that against your will ,do you really understand WHY they act thus? I bet your mind will be thinking cause they are lazy , naughty , or just being rebellion.
By learning The Focus Dimension, The Centering Dimension and The Laterality Dimension, we are able to find out the root of the problem behind all this negative act by your kids. Whether is because of their emotional stress, communication problem, poor in organizing things or easily get distracted etc. As soon as we gather all these information, then only we can take appropriate action to solve the problem.

Day 1

First time having class with kids around :)

Day 2

The left side show a dynamic brain when we can think and act wise,while at the right side is a stressful brain than stopping us to act accurately .

The Double Doodle Drawing

Back to ABC the Alphabet 8s

Day 3

Game before class :)

Phoebe is explaining human brain in 4 dimension

Phewww all done

YeAh!!!!

Brain Gym is the registered trademark of the Educational Kinesiology Foundation ,Ventura,California USA

Monday

How to get your baby to sleep through the night

Tips to Get Your Baby to Zzzzz.....

Ferberizing

Probably the most popular getting-baby-to-sleep technique is the Ferber method, named for its creator, Richard Ferber, M.D., director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Children's Hospital, in Boston. It's based on the notion that babies make associations with falling asleep, whether at bedtime or after waking in the middle of the night. So if you routinely rock your child until he falls asleep or allow him to conk out while breastfeeding or having a bottle, he'll come to rely on these things in order to go to sleep and will want them repeated when he wakes in the middle of the night. The trick is to teach him to learn to fall asleep by himself in his crib. Here's how it works:

1. Put your baby in his crib, say good night, and leave the room. If he starts to cry, let him -- for about 5 minutes. Then go into the room, comfort him briefly without picking him up, and leave. If he cries again, wait 10 minutes before going in, then 15 minutes, until he falls asleep. The point of going in is to reassure your baby that you still exist and to reassure you that he's okay.

2. Repeat the ritual -- with the same timed intervals used at his bedtime -- every time he wakes in the night.

3. Each subsequent night add an additional 5 minutes to the first interval. For example, the second night, start by waiting 10 minutes before going in, then 15 on the third night.

PROS: Over the course of three to seven days -- blessedly, it rarely takes longer than this, say pediatricians and experienced parents -- the baby learns to associate being in his crib with falling asleep. He also learns that crying won't get his parents to pick him up. And a few nights of tears in an otherwise loving environment won't have any lasting effect on your baby.

CONS: This method isn't for the fainthearted, since you have to be able to handle hearing your infant cry, sometimes for long periods. But unlike simply letting the baby cry until he falls asleep, you go in to his room to calm him at prescribed intervals. You may have to repeat the entire process when the baby is older, since some will experience relapses.

The biggest problem with Ferberizing is when parents are inconsistent. Also, some infants just don't respond to the technique. "There are some spirited children who may repeatedly outlast the parent," says Dr. Givan. "If after two weeks the baby hasn't adjusted his sleep habits, it may be time to talk to your pediatrician about another method."

Scheduled Awakenings

This technique is based on altering a baby's sleep habits by waking her at prescribed times. Here's the idea:

1. For one week, keep track of the times the baby wakes each night. Then, try to beat her to the punch. If she wakes at 12 and 4 AM, for instance, go in and wake her at 11:45 and 3:45 and rock her or do whatever you normally do.

2. Day by day, extend the waking times in 15-minute increments -- back to 12 and 4 AM, then to 12:15 and 4:15, and so on. She should stop waking on her own and instead wait for her parent, who has become her alarm clock.

3. As you add 15-minute increments between wakings, she learns to sleep for longer periods of time. Eventually you phase out the wakings altogether and find that your baby is sleeping through the night.

PROS: For infants who routinely awaken at predictable times during the night, the scheduled-awakenings method can be a gentler alternative to Ferberizing -- there's often less crying and parents feel a sense of control, since they're in charge of when the baby wakes up.

CONS: "The biggest problem I've seen is that parents have a hard time bringing themselves to actually wake the baby," says Carl Johnson, Ph.D., a specialist in sleep disorders at Central Michigan University, in Mount Pleasant. Some sleep experts are adamantly opposed to this method and point out that there's little proof that it's effective. They argue that an infant's waking schedule is too varied for this technique to be effective. Another glitch is that this approach takes a while -- as long as three or four weeks.

Reinforcing Sleep Rhythms

On the flip side of scheduled awakenings is a preventive method advocated by Marc Weissbluth, M.D., author of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. The gist of it is that you never let your baby (of 4 months or older) become overtired, because being too fatigued is the root of all sleep problems, says Dr. Weissbluth. Instead, you anticipate your infant's natural sleepiness and put him down -- at nap time and at bedtime -- accordingly. The approach works as follows:

1. Keep intervals of wakefulness brief when a baby's about 4 months old; every one to two hours, put him down for a nap. Infants who are older than that can handle longer wakeful periods -- put them down for naps two or three times a day. Any soothing bedtime ritual can be used, says Dr. Weissbluth, but avoid letting your baby nap on the run, such as in the car or stroller.

2. Anticipate when your baby will be sleepy. This, says Dr. Weissbluth, may take a while: "It's like surfboarding -- you have to catch the wave of drowsiness as it begins to surface before it crashes into an overtired state."

3. Dr. Weissbluth's motto is: Never wake a sleeping baby. Most babies (between 5 and 12 months) will take two or three naps of one to two hours a day, but he claims that longer naps will have no negative effect on nighttime sleep. "Sleep begets sleep," he says. "It's not logical, but it's biological. The better a child sleeps during the day, the easier it is for him to fall asleep at night."

4. Set an early bedtime. Babies need to go to bed between 6 and 8 PM, says Dr. Weissbluth, depending on their nap schedule. "Children who are kept up too late have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep," he says. "And they have trouble napping during the day. Early bedtimes prevent night wakings."

PROS: Dr. Weissbluth argues that with his approach, sleep problems won't develop and you'll never need to resort to Ferberizing or other techniques; all you'll need to do is predict when your baby will get tired and then let him sleep.

CONS: Never letting a baby become overtired and never waking him up can be harder than it sounds. While this approach may be less wrenching than some of the others, it's not a short-term quick fix: In order to work, you have to stick with it. And Dr. Weissbluth acknowledges that if your infant is waking in the middle of the night, this method will only bring about slow, gradual change.

The Family Bed

This method -- in which children share a bed with their parents -- is common in many cultures and is part of a child-rearing philosophy known in the U.S. as "attachment parenting." It's a sleeping style more than a technique for getting a baby to sleep well. This approach -- not to be confused with allowing your child to come into bed with you once in a while -- calls for sharing the bed most nights.

PROS: Proponents of cosleeping believe that the feeling of security the baby gets when she wakes up next to her mom and dad helps her go back to sleep right away. If the mom is breastfeeding, she barely has to open her eyes to feed her baby.

CONS: Many sleep experts offer warnings about this approach. You'll have to forget about having any privacy. "And there is the possibility that a parent will roll over on top of the baby," says Johnson. A family bed needs to be large enough to accommodate everybody comfortably and shouldn't have a soft mattress, fluffy pillows, or a comforter, which could suffocate the baby. Also, you should never consume alcohol or take any medications that may make you drowsy. And there's the issue of when to stop inviting your child into bed with you, because at some point she's going to have to learn to sleep alone -- which means that one of the above techniques may eventually be necessary.

With any sleep strategy, it's in everybody's best interest to start sooner rather than later -- certainly by 18 months. If your baby continues to have problems falling asleep and staying asleep, talk it over with your pediatrician; she may refer you to a doctor who specializes in children's sleep disorders. "Once a kid gets older," says Dr. Givan, "solving sleep problems requires more creative solutions."

While getting your baby to sleep through the night can take some effort and willpower, if you keep up with it, everyone will rest easy.

Reference:http://www.parenting.com/article/how-to-get-your-baby-to-sleep-through-the-night?page=0,4

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